A fantastic, history-making day at
LDConf.
Proud to be part of our 16 strong MEP team - the largest number of MEPs the party has had (so far) - joined by so many incredible new MPs who have joined us from across the political spectrum (including first-time conference attendee, and newest Lib Dem MP, @samgyimahmp!) From speaking on a climate change Q&A panel to signing an MEP dressed as a fish I have never had a busier first day at conference. Tomorrow will be even busier as we debate our party’s future stance on Europe - I hope to see you there!
#libdem #libdems #mep #Europe #StopBrexit #stopbrexitsavebritain

18:46 14/09/2019 1 32

Watching the @libdems conference rally live with Bake Off in the background
#geek #libdem

1-min video:
LibDem leader Jo Swinson has ruled out a pact with
Labour as they’re "not a
Remain party". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to commit his party to supporting Remain or Leave in a new referendum. Watch and read on the Reasons2Remain Facebook page.
#StopBrexit

To London for the day &
westminsterabbey for the Service of Thanksgiving for the life & work of Paddy Ashdown. Those words! Swipe for 2 Timothy 4: 1-7; + the funeral oration attributed to Pericles (c 495-429 BC), plus a strong address by Sir John Major. Beautiful service; many old friends - privilege to be there. Thank you to everyone involved.
In my 20s in the 1990s, I was lucky enough to see a a very small bit of Paddy at close quarters, first as a student sabbatical campaigner, then a parliamentary assistant for one of his MPs, and finally, a press officer in his whips' office, before I headed off for the BBC. He was a true force of nature. A real inspiration.
#paddyashdown #memorial #politics #liberaldemocrats #libdems #libdem

Here a radical idea. Instead of them all going off in the huff complaining about no deal and no election and everything. Why don’t we seal them all in to the House of Commons. Like the Vatican do with Conclave and leave them there until they sort everything out for once and all. Complaining that it’s only weeks to go to sort everything out. Surely this should have been sorted as soon as article 50 was invoked.
#politics #brexit #labour #conservative #independent #libdem #wasteoftime

When I did my Manchester Manifesto a few years ago, it was all tongue-in-cheek - crass political slogans, stupid posturing, populist nonsense. It was meant to be a bit of fun. But what I wrote as a kind of satire looks tame and almost sensible compared to the stuff that's happening right now, where the mad, bad, delusional, lying, cheating, undemocratic, narcissistic, reckless, vindictive, divisive, out-of-touch (they're mostly old-Etonian public schoolboys remember) or downright sinister are setting the agenda. Some good friends of mine voted for Brexit, and I have to respect their reasons for doing so, but I doubt any of them voted for anarchy and an almost fascistic zeal to disrupt hundreds of years of carefully constructed democracy. And I've now accepted that we should accept the referendum, but with a deal. However I'm scared that we've unleashed some kind of monster that's going to lead us to oblivion, where our only alliance is with another blond demagogue in America. Hold on to your hats!
www.statementartworks.com
#manchester #andyburnham #labour #libdem #stopbrexit #chorlton
#chorltonlife
#chorltonartmarket

🚨 Emergency Podcast is Live 🚨
.
Zero Majority - the week the Tories collapased
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Johnson loses his majority and Brexit rips apart the Conservative Party. . @johnpotterld and Richard talk about the latest goings on in Parliament and what the LibDems should do about a general election.
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https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lib-dem-podcast/id1467418192
#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-1649587

LGBT Lib Dem Members Are Quitting The Party Over The Defection Of Ex-Tory MP Phillip Lee!
A number of LGBT Liberal Democrat members have announced they are leaving the party after MP Phillip Lee dramatically quit the Tories to join the party.
There were gasps in the House of Commons as Lee took a seat next to Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson during prime minister Boris Johnson's speech ahead of a crucial vote on Brexit on Tuesday evening. It means Johnson no longer has a working majority.
Jennie Rigg, who chaired the Lib Dem LGBT+ group, told BuzzFeed News that Lee's voting record proved he was "not a Liberal". She said he had "problematic" views on gay rights, HIV migrants, and privatising the NHS.
Luke Graham, a member since 2010, told us Lee had a "deeply conservative mindset that did not align with Lib Dem values and said he was "very disappointed" in Swinson's decision.
Lee abstained in the 2013 vote on same-sex marriage and sparked controversy in 2014 when he proposed that people coming to settle in Britain should have to first prove they do not have HIV or hepatitis B.
He has also suggested that NHS patients suffering from lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes should pay for their prescriptions.
Rigg, who was a member of the Lib Dems for 11 years, tweeted that she had formally resigned from the party, just an hour after Lee crossed the floor.
Rigg said: "I had told anyone who would listen when the rumours first started circulating about him that if he was allowed in I would be going. "It's not just his problematic views on LGBT+ stuff and HIV migrants, it's all the privatising the NHS stuff as well. He's not a Liberal. His voting record shows he's not a Liberal." Rigg, who also served on various federal regional and local committees and hosted the party's Glee club at conference, said she knew of other members who had resigned over Lee's defection.
She said she was "disappointed" in the
LibDem leadership. "His voting record is very problematic and I think he needs to make public apologies
https://www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/emilyashton/liberal-democrat-phillip-lee
LoveisLove ❤🏳️‍🌈